("Deutero-Pauline" Epistles, The) New Testament-studies term referring to the biblical books of Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians; used by scholars who deny that the apostle Paul wrote these letters, which straightforwardly claim to be from Paul. Although the writing style does differ from Paul's other writings, the best evidence suggests that he penned them, perhaps through a scribe. For presentations of this evidence, see A. Van Roon's The Authenticity of Ephesians, N. T. Wright's Colossians and Philemon, and Leon Morris's The First and Second Epistles to the Thessalonians. See also Pastoral Epistles; Pauline corpus.